Vegetarian and Vegan recipes...that meat eaters will appreciate as well!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Autumn Roasted Carrot and Apple Farro Salad

Yesterday at work, a customer asked me how to prepare farro, as she was trying to incorporate more whole grains into her diet. Luckilly, I knew how to cook it and was able to help! One of my favorite parts of working in the deli at a health food store is being able to help people like her. It makes me happy to be able to give good advice on food, and help people eat healthier in turn. After the little tutorial on farro, I started to think about how good it would be in a salad for dinner. A leafy salad just wouldn't cut it as I was hungry, but a grain salad would be perfect! Not wanting to spend money I decided that I would make it with things I already had on hand. A carrot, a cipollini onion, and an apple. Perfect! I decided to roast them to bring out the flavor, then combine them with cooked farro, some fresh thyme and toasted walnuts in a cider vinaigrette. It was delicious!

All too often I forget about how tasty grains other than the usual rice and quinoa are. Thank goodness that lady asked me about the farro and gave me the idea to make it venturing out of the same old rut! Funny how that worked, I helped her, but she also helped me. Here is the recipe I made if you would like to enjoy it!

Combine the water and farro in a medium saucepan. Add 1 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the farro is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well, and then transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475 degrees, and line a large sheet pan with foil. Toss carrots and onions with just enough olive oil to coat and spread out on one side of sheet pan. Scatter apples on the other side and roast for about 10 minutes until the apples are starting to soften. Remove apples from pan, and add to bowl with the farro. Return carrots and onions to the oven and continue to roast until starting to brown at edges and carrots are tender. Let cool slightly then add to the bowl. Add walnnuts and thyme, then whisk together vinegar, oils, syrup, mustard and sea salt and pepper to taste and add to the bowl. Toss to coat, and serve at room temperature.

7 comments:

Amy, You must love it when a customer asks for a suggestion and you know just what to do. Your presentation of the Autumn Roasted Carrot & Apple Farro Salad is a lovely sight and I'm confident it must be as delicious as it is healthy. I've bookmarked this one to serve up soon!

I wish you worked at the grocery store I usually shop at. Everytime I see a new (to me) ingredients and ask someone how to cook it they don't know what advice to give me. Your salad looks great, perfect for a light dinner.

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About Me

I am a runner who believes in eating real food that nourishes the body and pleases the eye. I have an artistic mind, and I enjoy creating raw and plant based recipes. Good recipes are meant to be shared...and that is why I started blogging!